CN110072245B

CN110072245B - Data transmission method and device

Info

Publication number: CN110072245B
Application number: CN201910223596.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王鑫; 赵文龙; 张明镇
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honor Device Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-22
Filing date: 2019-03-22
Publication date: 2021-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-22
Also published as: CN113163423B; CN110072245A; CN113163423A

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a data transmission method and a data transmission device, relates to the technical field of communication, and solves the problems that in the prior art, when a main node and an auxiliary node lose packets, the data transmission efficiency is affected, the time delay is large, and the like. The specific scheme is as follows: the terminal is connected with a first base station through a first link and is connected with a second base station through a second link, and the method comprises the following steps: if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is larger than or equal to a preset threshold value, transmitting a first data packet group through a first link, and transmitting a second data packet group through a second link; the first and second packet groups include one or more packets, respectively, and quintuple information of the packets in the first and second packet groups are different from each other.

Description

Data transmission method and device

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a data transmission method and device.

Background

Currently, most operators select LTE and NR Dual Connectivity (E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity, EN-DC) as a networking mode of Non-independent Networking (NSA). Terminals work under an EN-DC network, and there are three types of bearers: master Cell Group (MCG) bearers, Secondary Cell Group (SCG) bearers and Split (Split) bearers.

In an EN-DC network, a network configures a threshold for a terminal in a process that the terminal accesses the network, when the terminal carries transmission data through split, the number of uplink data packets is greater than or equal to the threshold, and the terminal randomly shunts data packets to be transmitted in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, so that a part of the data packets are transmitted through Long Term Evolution (LTE), and another part of the data packets are transmitted through a New air interface (NR).

As shown in fig. 1, taking Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) data flow as an example, a terminal randomly shunts a data packet to be transmitted at an NR PDCP layer, and transmits the data packet through LTE and NR networks. However, when the primary Node (MN) or the Secondary Node (SN) loses packet, the scheme affects the efficiency and delay of data transmission (for example, packet loss of the LTE network in fig. 1 will cause retransmission of two TCP streams). In addition, in the scheme, when the transmission delay of the LTE network and the NR network is greatly different, the PDCP layer may wait for a long time when performing reordering, which results in an increase in delay.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method and device, which can reduce the time delay of the PDCP layer reordering and improve the data transmission efficiency.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

in a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a data transmission method is provided, which is applied to a terminal, where the terminal is connected to a first base station through a first link and connected to a second base station through a second link, and the method includes: if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is larger than or equal to a preset threshold value, transmitting a first data packet group through the first link, and transmitting a second data packet group through the second link; the first and second packet groups include one or more packets, respectively, and five tuple information of the packets in the first and second packet groups are different from each other. Based on the scheme, the same data stream is transmitted on one link, so that when packet loss occurs on the PDCP layer of the main base station or the auxiliary base station, transmission of only part of the data stream of the application layer can be influenced, influence on data stream transmission is reduced, and data transmission efficiency is improved.

With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first base station is configured to provide service for a master cell group MCG, and the second base station is configured to provide service for a secondary cell group SCG. Based on the scheme, the same data stream can be transmitted on one link under the double-connection scene.

With reference to the first aspect and the possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the data packets to be transmitted are data packets to be transmitted by a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer of the terminal, and the data packets in the first data packet group and the second data packet group are data packets to be transmitted by the first protocol layer of the terminal. Based on the scheme, when the data packets to be transmitted of the PDCP layer and the RLC layer exceed the threshold value, the data packets with the same quintuple information in the data packets to be transmitted of the PDCP layer can be transmitted on one link.

With reference to the first aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, if the reordering timeout times of the terminal within a preset time is greater than or equal to a preset time, where the reordering timeout times are times of a new air interface NR packet data convergence protocol PDCP reordering timer of the terminal that times out, the method further includes: determining a target base station according to the transmission parameters of the first base station and the second base station; the target base station is a base station with better transmission performance in the first base station and the second base station; if the target base station is a first base station, transmitting a data packet to be transmitted of a first protocol layer through a first link; and if the target base station is the second base station, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through a second link. Based on the scheme, when the shunting transmission effect is poor, the data packet to be transmitted can be transmitted in the base station with better transmission quality and transmission capacity, so that the PDCP reordering time delay is reduced, and the data transmission efficiency is improved.

With reference to the first aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the method further includes: if the target base station is a first base station and the transmission parameters of the second base station meet preset conditions, transmitting a first data packet group through a first link and transmitting a second data packet group through a second link; or if the target base station is a second base station and the transmission parameter of the first base station meets the preset condition, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or if the target base station is a first base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the first link reaches a first time length, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or, if the target base station is a second base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the second link reaches a second time length, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link. Based on the scheme, when the transmission performance of the base station except the target base station is better or the single link transmission reaches a certain long time, the shunt transmission is started, and the data transmission efficiency is improved.

With reference to the first aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the transmission parameter includes: one or more of bit error rate, signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, signal quality, and peak throughput. Based on the scheme, the transmission performance and the transmission quality of the base station can be determined through the transmission parameters.

With reference to the first aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, if the number of reordering times out of the terminal within a preset time is less than a preset number, the method further includes: the first packet group is transmitted over the first link and the second packet group is transmitted over the second link. Based on the scheme, when the shunt transmission effect is good, the data packet to be transmitted of the PDCP layer can be continuously shunted and transmitted.

With reference to the first aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the quintuple information includes: source address, source port number, destination address, destination port number, and protocol type. Based on the scheme, the data packets with the same source address, source port number, destination address, destination port number and protocol type can be transmitted on one link.

With reference to the first aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the method further includes: and if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted is smaller than the preset threshold value, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through the first link or the second link. Based on the scheme, when the data volume of the data packets to be transmitted of the PDCP layer and the RLC layer does not exceed the threshold value, the data packets to be transmitted of the PDCP layer can be transmitted on only one link, and the link can be a link between the terminal and the main base station.

In a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a data transmission apparatus, which is connected to a first base station through a first link and connected to a second base station through a second link, the apparatus including: the device comprises a processing unit and a communication unit, wherein the processing unit is used for transmitting a first data packet group through a first link and transmitting a second data packet group through a second link if the data quantity of a data packet to be transmitted of the device is greater than or equal to a preset threshold; the first and second packet groups include one or more packets, respectively, and quintuple information of the packets in the first and second packet groups are different from each other.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the apparatus may be a stand-alone component, which may be a component in the terminal device. Wherein the processing unit may be a processor of the component and the communication unit may be a communication interface of the component.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may also be a chip, which may be a chip operating in the terminal device. Wherein, the processing unit may be a processor of the chip, and the communication unit may be a communication interface of the chip, such as: a pin of the chip.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may also be a terminal device. Wherein the processing unit may be a processor of the apparatus and the communication unit may be a transceiver of the apparatus.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first base station is configured to provide service for a master cell group MCG, and the second base station is configured to provide service for a secondary cell group SCG.

With reference to the second aspect and the possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the data packets to be transmitted are data packets to be transmitted by a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer of the device, and the data packets in the first data packet group and the second data packet group are data packets to be transmitted by the first protocol layer of the device.

With reference to the second aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manner, in another possible implementation manner, if the reordering timeout times of the apparatus within a preset time is greater than or equal to a preset time, where the reordering timeout times are times of a new air interface NR packet data convergence protocol PDCP reordering timer of the apparatus being out of time, the processing unit is further configured to: determining a target base station according to the transmission parameters of the first base station and the second base station; the target base station is a base station with better transmission performance in the first base station and the second base station; if the target base station is a first base station, transmitting a data packet to be transmitted of a first protocol layer through a first link by a communication unit; and if the target base station is a second base station, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the second link by the communication unit.

With reference to the second aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the processing unit is further configured to: if the target base station is a first base station and the transmission parameter of the second base station meets a preset condition, transmitting a first data packet group through a first link through the communication unit and transmitting a second data packet group through a second link through the communication unit; or, if the target base station is a second base station and the transmission parameter of the first base station meets a preset condition, transmitting a first data packet group through the first link by the communication unit, and transmitting a second data packet group through the second link by the communication unit; or, if the target base station is a first base station and the duration of transmitting the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through the first link reaches a first duration, transmitting a first data packet group through the first link by the communication unit, and transmitting a second data packet group through the second link by the communication unit; or, if the target base station is a second base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through the second link reaches a second time length, transmitting a first data packet group through the first link by the communication unit, and transmitting a second data packet group through the second link by the communication unit.

With reference to the second aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manner, in another possible implementation manner, the transmission parameter includes: one or more of bit error rate, signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, signal quality, and peak throughput.

With reference to the second aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manner, in another possible implementation manner, if the reordering timeout times of the apparatus within a preset time is less than a preset time, the processing unit is further configured to: the first packet group is transmitted through the first link by the communication unit, and the second packet group is transmitted through the second link by the communication unit.

With reference to the second aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the quintuple information includes: source address, source port number, destination address, destination port number, and protocol type.

With reference to the second aspect and the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, the processing unit is further configured to: and if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted is smaller than the preset threshold value, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through the first link or the second link through the communication unit.

For the above description of the effects of the second aspect and the various implementations of the second aspect, reference may be made to the description of the corresponding effects of the first aspect and the various implementations of the first aspect, and details are not repeated here.

A third aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer storage medium, where a computer program code is stored, and when the computer program code runs on a processor, the processor is caused to execute the data transmission method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a computer program product is provided, where the computer program product stores computer software instructions executed by the processor, and the computer software instructions include a program for executing the solution of the above aspect.

In a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided an apparatus in the form of a chip, the apparatus includes a processor and a memory, the memory is configured to be coupled to the processor and stores necessary program instructions and data of the apparatus, and the processor is configured to execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the apparatus performs the functions of the data transmission apparatus in the method.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic application diagram of a data transmission method provided in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a user plane architecture in an EN-DC network architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a communication diagram of an EN-DC network architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack in an EN-DC network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic application diagram of a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic flowchart of another data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a data transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic composition diagram of another data transmission apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, meaning that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of the singular or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c or a-b-c, wherein a, b and c can be single or multiple.

It is noted that, in the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean exemplary, illustrative, or descriptive. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

First, some terms referred to in the embodiments of the present application are explained:

LTE-NR Dual Connectivity (E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity, EN-DC) network: the dual-connection mode is characterized in that a 4G wireless access network is in dual-connection with a 5G NR, a 4G base station is a main base station, a 5G base station is an auxiliary base station, the main base station is connected with an LTE core network, and the auxiliary base station is connected with the main base station.

NR-LTE Dual Connectivity (NE-DC) network: the method is characterized in that a 4G wireless access network under a 5G core network is in double connection with a 5G NR, the 5G core network is introduced, a 4G base station is a main base station, a 5G base station is an auxiliary base station, the main base station is connected with the 5G core network, the auxiliary base station is connected with a main node, and the auxiliary base station directly sends user plane data to the 5G core network or the main base station.

5G core network LTE-NR Dual Connectivity (Next Generation E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity, NGEN-DC) network: the method is characterized in that a 4G wireless access network under a 5G core network is in double connection with a 5G NR, the 5G core network is introduced, a 4G base station is a main base station, a 5G base station is an auxiliary base station, the main base station is connected with the 5G core network, the auxiliary base station is connected with the main base station, and the auxiliary base station transmits user plane data to the 5G core network through the main base station or directly.

In order to solve the problems that the efficiency of data transmission is affected and the time delay is large when the primary node and the secondary node lose packets in the prior art, the embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method, which can reduce the time delay of the PDCP layer reordering and improve the data transmission efficiency.

The data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the application is suitable for a Non-independent Networking (NSA) network architecture shunted at an NR PDCP layer, and the NSA network architecture refers to deployment of a 5G network by using an existing 4G infrastructure. For example, NSA network architectures such as EN-DC networks, NE-DC networks, or NGEN-DC networks. The NSA network architecture to which the data transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application is adapted is not limited to the above network, and is only an exemplary illustration here. In the following embodiments, the data transmission method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described by taking an EN-DC network architecture as an example.

The data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the application is applied to a device, which can be a terminal, or a device, a chip or a baseband chip arranged in the terminal, and the device can be simultaneously connected to a plurality of cell sites, for example, the device can be simultaneously connected to a main base station and at least one auxiliary base station, and when the device is connected to one main base station and one auxiliary base station, the device can receive data bearers from at least two serving cells of the two base stations.

As shown in fig. 2, the network-side user plane architecture in the EN-DC network architecture is shown, in the EN-DC network, the data plane radio bearer may be independently served by a Master Evolved Node B (MeNB) or a Secondary Evolved Node B (SeNB), or may be served by both the SeNB and the MeNB. In the EN-DC network architecture, three bearer types are included, which are a Master Cell Group (MCG) bearer, a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) bearer, and a split (split) bearer. The Split bearer may be an MCG Split bearer or an SCG Split bearer. As shown in FIG. 2, in the EN-DC scenario, the network side configures the E-UTRAN PDCP or the NR PDCP for the MCG, but the NR PDCP can only be used for configuring the SCG and Split bearer. The data transmission method in the embodiment of the application can adopt the separated load mode to transmit data when the data volume to be transmitted exceeds the preset threshold value, and the device can transmit data through the first link and/or the second link in the separated load mode. It should be noted that the master base station MeNB and the secondary base station SeNB in the embodiment of the present application may be two independent network devices, or may be integrated in one network device.

It can be appreciated that in EN-DC networks, to avoid the LTE PDCP layer encountering processing bottlenecks, the data offloading and aggregation functions are migrated to the PDCP layer of the 5G base station, i.e. the NR PDCP layer.

As shown in fig. 3, the MeNB may be connected to an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) via an S1 interface. For example, the MeNB may be connected to a Serving GateWay (SGW) or a Mobility Management Entity (MME) via an S1 interface, which is illustrated in fig. 2 as the MeNB being connected to the SGW via an S1 interface. The MeNB may include a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, where the MeNB may receive data and/or control information from a gateway. For example, data or control information may be transferred from the PDCP layer in the MeNB to the RLC and MAC layers in the MeNB, which may be transferred from the PDCP layer in the MeNB to the RLC layer in the SeNB via the X2 interface.

For example, the apparatus in the following embodiments of the present application may operate in a dual connectivity mode, and connect with a first base station through a first link, which may be the primary base station MeNB in fig. 2, and connect with a second base station through a second link, which may be the secondary base station SeNB in fig. 2. In the EN-DC network, the first base station is a 4G base station, and the second base station is a 5G base station.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, in a dual connectivity scenario of Long Term Evolution (LTE), Data on one Radio Bearer (DRB) may be transmitted simultaneously on a first link and a second link and aggregated on an NR PDCP layer of an MCG, or aggregated on an NR PDCP layer of an SCG, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack in a dual connectivity mode according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 4, in a data transmission process, data transmission between a device and a primary base station MeNB and a secondary base station SeNB may pass through transmission of a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a physical layer, where each layer is used to complete different data processing. Wherein, PDCP mainly performs security operation and Header Compression and decompression processing, such as ciphering and integrity protection, Robust Header Compression/Robust Header Compression (ROHC) Compression and decompression, and the like; the RLC mainly completes the segment cascade, sequential delivery, non-sequential delivery and Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) data transmission guarantee of data; the MAC mainly completes scheduling, cascade processing of different logical channels, and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) operation; the physical layer completes transmission block packetization and air interface transmission.

It is to be understood that fig. 4 only illustrates that the data transmitted by the first link and the second link are converged at the NR PDCP layer of the master base station MeNB, and in practical applications, the data transmitted by the first link and the second link may also be converged at the NR PDCP layer of the secondary base station SeNB, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the apparatus 500 shown in fig. 5, and the apparatus 500 may be a chip, an apparatus disposed in a terminal, or a terminal device. As shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 500 may include at least one processor 501, a memory 502, a transceiver 503, and a communication bus 504.

The following describes the components of the apparatus in detail with reference to fig. 5:

the processor 501 is a control center of the apparatus, and may be a single processor or a collective term for a plurality of processing elements. For example, processor 501 is a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or one or more Integrated circuits configured to implement embodiments of the present invention, such as: one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).

The processor 501 may perform various functions of the communication device by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 502, and calling data stored in the memory 502, among other things.

In particular implementations, processor 501 may include one or more CPUs such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in fig. 5 as an example.

In particular implementations, an apparatus may include multiple processors, such as processor 501 and processor 505 shown in fig. 5, for example, as an example. Each of these processors may be a single-Core Processor (CPU) or a multi-Core Processor (CPU). A processor herein may refer to one or more communication devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

The Memory 502 may be a Read-Only Memory (ROM) or other types of static storage communication devices that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage communication devices that can store information and instructions, an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) or other optical Disc storage, optical Disc storage (including Compact Disc, laser Disc, optical Disc, digital versatile Disc, blu-ray Disc, etc.), a disk storage medium or other magnetic storage communication device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to such. The memory 502 may be separate and coupled to the processor 501 via a communication bus 504. The memory 502 may also be integrated with the processor 501.

The memory 502 is used for storing software programs for implementing the present invention, and is controlled by the processor 501 for execution.

A transceiver 503 for communication with a second device. Of course, the transceiver 503 may also be used for communication with a communication network, such as an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and so on. The transceiver 503 may include a receiving unit to implement a receiving function and a transmitting unit to implement a transmitting function.

The communication bus 504 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended ISA (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 5, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

The communication device configuration shown in fig. 5 does not constitute a limitation of the communication device and may include more or fewer components than those shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components.

With reference to fig. 1 to 5, as shown in fig. 6, an embodiment of the present application provides a data transmission method, which may include steps S601 to S602.

S601, if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is larger than or equal to a preset threshold value, transmitting a first data packet group through a first link, and transmitting a second data packet group through a second link, wherein five-tuple information of the data packet in the first data packet group and the data packet in the second data packet group are different.

The data packets to be transmitted of the terminal are data packets to be transmitted of a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer. Illustratively, the first protocol layer is a PDCP layer, the second protocol layer is an RLC layer, and the data packets to be transmitted are data packets to be transmitted by the PDCP layer and the RLC layer. Illustratively, the preset threshold is a threshold configured on the network side. If the data volume of the data packets to be transmitted by the PDCP layer and the RLC layer at the terminal side exceeds the threshold, the terminal may shunt the data packets to be transmitted by the PDCP layer.

Illustratively, the first data packet group and the second data packet group respectively include one or more data packets, and the data packets in the first data packet group and the second data packet group are data packets to be transmitted by the first protocol layer. That is, the data packets in the first data packet group and the second data packet group are data packets to be transmitted by the PDCP layer.

Illustratively, the five tuple information of the packet in the first packet group and the packet in the second packet group are different from each other. The five-tuple information includes a source address, a source port number, a destination address, a destination port number, and a protocol type. Since the quintuple information of the same data stream is the same, the quintuple information of different data streams are different from each other. Therefore, the data streams included in the first packet group and the second packet group are different from each other. As shown in fig. 7, since the quintuple information of TCP flow 1packet1, TCP flow 1packet2, and TCP flow 1packet3 is the same, and the quintuple information of TCP flow 2packet1, TCP flow 2packet2, and TCP flow 2packet3 is the same, TCP flow 1packet1, TCP flow 1packet2, and TCP flow 1packet3 may be divided into a first packet group, and TCP flow 2packet1, TCP flow 2packet2, and TCP flow 2packet3 may be divided into a second packet group. Fig. 7 only illustrates that the data stream to be transmitted is two data streams, and in practical applications, the number of the data streams to be transmitted may be more, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in the step S601, the first packet group is transmitted through the first link, and before the second packet group is transmitted through the second link, the packet to be transmitted in the first protocol layer may be divided into the first packet group and the second packet group according to the quintuple information, and the packets with the same quintuple information are divided into the same packet group. It is understood that a packet group in this embodiment may include a plurality of data streams, but the same data stream is divided into a packet group.

The application layer (optional) may identify the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer according to the quintuple information, where the identifier is used to indicate that the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer belongs to the first data packet group or the second data packet group, and the PDCP layer may shunt data streams according to the identifier of each data packet after receiving the data stream transmitted by the application layer.

Before step S601, the PDCP layer may further receive a data stream sent by the upper layer. For example, when the terminal is used as a transmitting end, the PDCP layer of the terminal may receive a plurality of data streams sent by the application layer, where each data stream may include a plurality of data packets.

For example, in the step S601, the first packet group is transmitted on the first link, and the second packet group is transmitted on the second link, because the data streams of the first packet group and the second packet group are different, when the data packets to be transmitted by the PDCP layer are transmitted in the step S601, the same data stream (the data packets with the same quintuple information) is transmitted on one link (the first link or the second link).

In the EN-DC network architecture, the first link may be a link between the terminal and a main base station (4G base station), and the second link may be a link between the terminal and a secondary base station (5G base station), that is, the first packet group and the second packet group may be transmitted through an LTE network and an NR network, respectively.

It can be understood that, since the five-tuple information of the packet in the first packet group and the packet in the second packet group are different from each other, when the first packet group and the second packet group are transmitted in the LTE network and the NR network, respectively, the same data stream is transmitted in the same network.

For example, when the terminal performs uplink transmission, data packets (a first data packet group and a second data packet group) to be transmitted by the PDCP layer may be transmitted by the PDCP layer in the LTE network and the NR network, respectively, and the same data stream is transmitted in one network during shunt transmission. Therefore, when packet loss occurs in the LTE network, only the data stream transmitted in the LTE network is affected, and the data stream transmitted in the NR network is not affected by the packet loss of the LTE network.

As shown in fig. 7, when a transmitting end (terminal) performs uplink transmission, a TCP stream 1 may be transmitted through an LTE network at a PDCP layer, and a TCP stream 2 may be transmitted through an NR network. If the transmission performance of the NR network is better than that of the LTE network, when packet loss (TCP stream 1packet2 and TCP stream 1packet3) occurs in the LTE network (4G base station), only TCP stream 1 transmitted in the LTE network is affected, and TCP stream 2 transmitted in the NR network is not affected by the packet loss of the LTE network. That is, compared with the effect of LTE network packet loss on both TCP stream 1 and TCP stream 2 in fig. 1, the scheme only affects transmission of part of application layer data streams, and only needs to retransmit TCP stream 1. It can be understood that, in this embodiment, the same data stream is transmitted on one link, and when a packet loss occurs on the PDCP layer of the primary base station or the secondary base station, only part of the application layer data stream transmission is affected, so that compared with the prior art, the impact on the data stream transmission is reduced, and the data transmission efficiency is improved.

(optional) S602, if the data amount of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is smaller than the preset threshold, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the first link or the second link.

For example, when the data amount of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is smaller than the preset threshold, the data packet to be transmitted of the PDCP layer may be transmitted on the first link or the second link without offloading transmission.

For example, if the data amount of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is smaller than the preset threshold, the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer may be transmitted through the link between the terminal and the main base station. For example, if the first base station is a master base station, in step S602, when the data amount of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is smaller than the preset threshold, the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer is transmitted through the first link. If the second base station is the master base station, in step S602, when the data amount of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is smaller than the preset threshold, the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer is transmitted through the second link.

The embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method, wherein if the data volume of a data packet to be transmitted of a terminal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value, a first data packet group is transmitted through a first link, and a second data packet group is transmitted through a second link; the first and second packet groups include one or more packets, respectively, and quintuple information of the packets in the first and second packet groups are different from each other. In this embodiment, the same data stream is transmitted over one link, so that when the PDCP layer of the primary or secondary base station loses packets, only part of the application layer data stream is affected in transmission.

The present application further provides a data transmission method, as shown in fig. 8, steps S603-S606 may be further included after step S601.

S603, the terminal determines whether the reordering timeout times of the NR PDCP in the preset time is more than or equal to the preset times.

Illustratively, when the terminal is used as a receiving end, after receiving a data packet delivered by a lower layer, the NR PDCP of the terminal first determines whether the data packet is in a sorting window of the PDCP, if not, the data packet is discarded, and if the data is in the window, the data is sorted, and after the sorting is completed or a timer is overtime, the data is delivered to the upper layer.

The reordering timeout times are times of the NR PDCP reordering timer of the terminal, that is, times of delivering data to an upper layer after the NR PDCP timer expires. If the reordering timeout times of the NR PDCP are greater than or equal to the preset times within the preset time, it is determined that the current offloading effect is poor, that is, the effect of respectively transmitting data by using the LTE network and the NR network is poor, and data may not be offloaded. If the reordering overtime times of the NR PDCP are less than the preset times within the preset time, the current shunting effect is determined to be better, and the current shunting transmission can be continuously carried out through the LTE network and the NR network.

If the time-out of the reordering of the NR PDCP entity within the predetermined time is greater than or equal to the predetermined time, continuing to perform steps S604-S605; if the number of reordering timeout times of the NR PDCP entity within the predetermined time is less than the predetermined number of times, the step S606 is continuously performed.

S604, if the reordering overtime times of the terminal in the preset time are larger than or equal to the preset times, determining the target base station according to the transmission parameters of the first base station and the second base station.

The target base station is a base station with better transmission performance in a first base station and a second base station, wherein the first base station is a 4G base station (main base station), and the second base station is a 5G base station (auxiliary base station).

The determining the target base station according to the transmission parameters of the first base station and the second base station may include: and comparing one or more parameters of the error rate, the signal strength, the signal quality, the signal to noise ratio and the peak throughput of the first base station and the second base station, and determining the base station with better transmission performance as the target base station. For example, when the signal quality and the signal strength of the first base station are higher than those of the second base station, the transmission performance of the first base station is better, and the first base station is determined to be the target base station. The specific method for determining the target base station in the embodiments of the present application is not limited, and is only an exemplary illustration here.

S605, if the target base station is a first base station, transmitting a data packet to be transmitted of a first protocol layer through a first link; and if the target base station is a second base station, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through a second link.

For example, if the target base station is determined as the first base station in step S604, which indicates that the transmission performance of the first base station in the current network is better, the data packet to be transmitted in the PDCP layer may be transmitted in the first link (LTE network); if the target base station is determined to be the second base station in step S604, which indicates that the transmission performance of the second base station in the current network is better, the data packet to be transmitted in the PDCP layer may be transmitted in the second link (NR network), so as to reduce the PDCP reordering delay and improve the data transmission efficiency.

It can be understood that, according to the scheme, when the shunt transmission effect is poor, the data packet to be transmitted is transmitted in the base station with good transmission quality and transmission capability, so that the time delay of PDCP reordering can be reduced, and the data transmission efficiency can be improved.

And S606, if the reordering overtime times of the terminal in the preset time are less than the preset times, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link, and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link.

For example, if the number of reordering timeout times of the NR PDCP entity within the preset time is smaller than the preset number of times, it may be determined that the offloading effect of the current network is better, and the offloading transmission may continue through the LTE network and the NR network. Specifically, the transmission of the first packet group in the LTE network and the transmission of the second packet group in the NR network may continue.

It can be understood that, in the foregoing steps S603-S606, in a scenario of offloading transmission, the reordering timeout times of the NR PDCP entity within a preset time is detected, and it is determined whether the reordering timeout times exceeds the preset times, so as to determine whether to transmit a data packet to be transmitted by the PDCP layer through a single link or to transmit a data packet to be transmitted by the PDCP layer through two links at the same time.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, whether to perform data offloading on Split (Split) bearer when the terminal side sends data is determined according to the number of times of the NR PDCP reordering timer that expires when the terminal side receives data, so that the PDCP reordering delay can be reduced, and the data transmission efficiency can be improved.

The embodiment of the application provides a data transmission method, wherein if the data volume of a data packet to be transmitted of a terminal is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value, a first data packet group is transmitted through a first link, and a second data packet group is transmitted through a second link; if the reordering overtime times of the terminal in the preset time are larger than or equal to the preset times, determining a target base station according to the transmission parameters of the first base station and the second base station; if the target base station is a first base station, transmitting a data packet to be transmitted of a first protocol layer through a first link; if the target base station is a second base station, transmitting a data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through a second link; and if the reordering overtime times of the terminal in the preset time are less than the preset times, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link. In this embodiment, the same data stream is transmitted over one link, so that when the PDCP layer of the primary or secondary base station loses packets, only part of the application layer data stream is affected in transmission. And whether the data distribution is carried out on the Split (Split) bearer when the terminal side sends the data is determined according to the time-out times of the NR PDCP reordering timer when the terminal side receives the data, so that the PDCP reordering time delay can be reduced, and the data transmission efficiency is improved.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a data transmission method, as shown in fig. 9, after the step S605, a step S607 may further be included.

S607, if the target base station is the first base station and the transmission parameter of the second base station meets the preset condition, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or if the target base station is a second base station and the transmission parameter of the first base station meets the preset condition, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or if the target base station is a first base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the first link reaches a first time length, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or, if the target base station is a second base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the second link reaches a second time length, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link.

For example, when a data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer is transmitted on a link, the terminal may periodically detect a transmission parameter of a reference base station (a base station other than the target base station), for example, one or more parameters of signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, and signal quality, and if the transmission parameter of the reference base station meets a preset condition, for example, the signal quality of the reference base station is good, the terminal may continue to perform split transmission, that is, transmit the first data packet group through the first link, and transmit the second data packet group through the second link.

For example, if the transmission duration of a data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer on one link reaches a preset duration, shunt transmission may be started, that is, a first data packet group is transmitted through the first link, and a second data packet group is transmitted through the second link. And continuously detecting the reordering timeout times of the NR PDCP entity within the preset time according to steps S603-S606 to determine the shunting effect.

According to the data transmission method provided by the embodiment of the application, the shunt transmission can be started after the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer meets a certain condition through one link. Therefore, when the shunt transmission effect is poor, the data packet to be transmitted can be transmitted in the base station with good transmission quality and transmission capacity, so that the PDCP reordering time delay can be reduced. And after the transmission performance of another base station becomes good, the shunt transmission is started again, and the data transmission efficiency is improved.

The above description has mainly introduced the scheme provided in the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of method steps. It is understood that the apparatus comprises corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions in order to realize the above-mentioned functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present application is capable of implementing the exemplary modules and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein in a combination of hardware and computer software. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, functional modules may be divided according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

In the case of dividing each functional module according to each function, fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the data transmission device according to the above-described embodiment, and as shown in fig. 10, the data transmission device may be the device shown in fig. 5. The data transmission device 1000 includes a processing unit 1001 and a communication unit 1002. A processing unit 1001 for executing, by the communication unit, steps S601-S602 in fig. 6, S601, S603-S606 in fig. 8, S607 in fig. 9, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. It should be noted that all relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and are not described herein again.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a possible configuration of the data transmission device according to the exemplary embodiment described above, in the case of an integrated unit. The data transmission apparatus 1100 includes: a processing module 1101 and a communication module 1102. The processing module 1101 is used for controlling and managing actions of the data transmission device 1100, for example, executing steps performed by the processing unit 1001 described above, and/or other processes for performing the techniques described herein. The communication module 1102 is configured to perform the steps performed by the communication unit 1002, and support interaction between the terminal and other devices, such as interaction with a second base station or a second base station. As shown in fig. 11, the data transmission apparatus 1100 may further include a storage module 1103, and the storage module 1103 is used for storing program codes and data of the terminal. When the processing module 1101 is a processor, the communication module 1102 is a transceiver, and the storage module 1103 is a memory, all the descriptions of the related contents of the components related to fig. 5 can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding components in fig. 11, and are not described herein again.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the disclosure herein may be embodied in hardware or in software instructions executed by a processor. The software instructions may be comprised of corresponding software modules that may be stored in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash Memory, Erasable Programmable read-only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable read-only Memory (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disc read-only Memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a core network interface device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a core network interface device.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples described above, the functions described in this invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The above-mentioned embodiments, objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention are further described in detail, it should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements and the like made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, applied to a terminal, wherein the terminal is connected to a first base station through a first link and is connected to a second base station through a second link, the method comprising:

if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted of the terminal is larger than or equal to a preset threshold value, transmitting a first data packet group through the first link, and transmitting a second data packet group through the second link; the first data packet group and the second data packet group respectively comprise one or more data packets, and five-tuple information of the data packets in the first data packet group and the data packets in the second data packet group are different from each other;

if the reordering timeout times of the terminal in the preset time are greater than or equal to the preset times, the reordering timeout times are times of the new air interface NR packet data convergence protocol PDCP reordering timer of the terminal overtime, and the method further comprises the following steps:

determining a target base station according to the transmission parameters of the first base station and the second base station; the target base station is a base station with better transmission performance in the first base station and the second base station;

if the target base station is the first base station, transmitting a data packet to be transmitted by a first protocol layer through the first link; and if the target base station is the second base station, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through the second link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first base station is configured to serve a Master Cell Group (MCG) and the second base station is configured to serve a Secondary Cell Group (SCG).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data packets to be transmitted are data packets to be transmitted by a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer of the terminal, and the data packets in the first data packet group and the second data packet group are data packets to be transmitted by the first protocol layer of the terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the target base station is a first base station and the transmission parameter of the second base station meets a preset condition, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or,

if the target base station is a second base station and the transmission parameter of the first base station meets a preset condition, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or,

if the target base station is a first base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the first link reaches a first time length, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link; or,

and if the target base station is a second base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the second link reaches a second time length, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transmission parameters comprise: one or more of bit error rate, signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, signal quality, and peak throughput.

6. The method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein if the terminal has a reordering timeout less than a predetermined number within a predetermined time, the method further comprises:

a first group of data packets is transmitted over the first link and a second group of data packets is transmitted over the second link.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the five-tuple information comprises: source address, source port number, destination address, destination port number, and protocol type.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted is smaller than the preset threshold value, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through the first link or the second link.

9. A data transmission apparatus, wherein the apparatus is connected to a first base station via a first link and to a second base station via a second link, the apparatus comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit, wherein,

the processing unit is configured to transmit a first data packet group through the first link and transmit a second data packet group through the second link, if the data amount of the data packet to be transmitted of the device is greater than or equal to a preset threshold; the first data packet group and the second data packet group respectively comprise one or more data packets, and five-tuple information of the data packets in the first data packet group and the data packets in the second data packet group are different from each other;

if the reordering timeout times of the apparatus within the preset time is greater than or equal to the preset times, where the reordering timeout times are times of a new air interface NR packet data convergence protocol PDCP reordering timer of the apparatus being out of time, the processing unit is further configured to:

if the target base station is the first base station, transmitting a data packet to be transmitted by a first protocol layer through the first link by the communication unit; and if the target base station is the second base station, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the second link through the communication unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first base station is configured to serve a Master Cell Group (MCG) and the second base station is configured to serve a Secondary Cell Group (SCG).

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the data packets to be transmitted are data packets to be transmitted by a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer of the apparatus, and the data packets in the first data packet group and the second data packet group are data packets to be transmitted by the first protocol layer of the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

if the target base station is a first base station and the transmission parameter of the second base station meets a preset condition, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link through the communication unit, and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link through the communication unit; or,

if the target base station is a second base station and the transmission parameter of the first base station meets a preset condition, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link through the communication unit and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link through the communication unit; or,

if the target base station is a first base station and the duration of transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the first link reaches a first duration, transmitting the first data packet group through the first link through the communication unit and transmitting the second data packet group through the second link through the communication unit; or,

if the target base station is a second base station and the time length for transmitting the data packet to be transmitted of the first protocol layer through the second link reaches a second time length, the first data packet group is transmitted through the first link through the communication unit, and the second data packet group is transmitted through the second link through the communication unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transmission parameters comprise: one or more of bit error rate, signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, signal quality, and peak throughput.

14. The apparatus according to any of claims 9-11, wherein if the apparatus has a reordering timeout count within a predetermined time that is less than a predetermined count, the processing unit is further configured to:

a first group of data packets is transmitted over the first link by the communication unit and a second group of data packets is transmitted over the second link by the communication unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the five-tuple information comprises: source address, source port number, destination address, destination port number, and protocol type.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

and if the data volume of the data packet to be transmitted is smaller than the preset threshold value, transmitting the data packet to be transmitted by the first protocol layer through the first link or the second link through the communication unit.

17. A computer storage medium having computer program code stored therein, which when run on a processor causes the processor to perform a data transmission method according to any one of claims 1-8.